xiv, 232 p. : 23 cm

"Like national identity, national days involve a process of 'othering', saying who you are, as much as who you are not. If some countries (such as Scotland and Ireland) celebrate them far more strongly than their neighbour, England, why is that? Why is there no British day? Why should near-neighbours, Sweden, Norway and Finland, have such different traditions of national remembering? What if a national day and its associations are so tied into a previous political regime that they have become an embarrassment? Germany, Italy and South Africa have undergone radical political changes in the last 60 years, and with these, complex processes of forgetting and remembering. If national days have considerable political significance, whether positive or negative, they are also of major economic worth. Just as 'heritage' is not simply a matter of history, but of markets, so 'national days' have the potential to be major icons of national tourism. "--Book cover

Includes bibliographical references and index

1. Introduction / David McCrone and Gayle McPherson --- 2. The Calendar Conundrum: National Days as Unstable Signifiers / M.E.Geisler --- Scotland Days: Evolving Nation and Icons / David McCrone --- 4. "We wanna show 'em who we are": national events in England / Michael Skey --- 5. ReMembering the Nation: Remembrance Days and the Nation in Ireland / J. Poulter --- 6. Australia Day: a day for all Australians? / W. Pearson and G.O'Neill --- 7. Afrikaner nationalism's Holy Day: from commemoration through hegemony to delegitimation / P. Eric Louw ---8. Successful Nation-Building and Ceremonial Triumph: Constitution Day in Norway / G.Elgenius --- 9. Mediating the Nation: Celebrating 6th June in Sweden / M. Rodell --- 10. The Politics of Calendar: Independence Day in Finland / H. Nyyssonen --- 11. Reunification day: day of German unity? / Vera C. Simmon --- 12. Difficult Days and National Calendars: Italy, Cultural Trauma and Giorno del Ricordo / A. Cossu --- 13. One Country: Three National Days: nations, citizenship and media discourses in Valencia / E. Castello and R. Castello --- 14. Parading Conspicuous Identity: St Patrick's Day, New York / G. McPherson, M. Foley and A. McIntosh --- 15. Marking Time: Conclusion / David McCrone and Gayle McPherson

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